"Steele Stringed Hearts"© 2016
Chapter 1
by NorahBolt56

This story is set sometime in season 3 after Laura & Remington had come to their agreement in Cannes to just have a professional relationship and put their personal relationship on hold.

Remington and Laura are at a crossroads - she is frustrated with his apparent fear of commitment and inability to open up to her fully about his past and his feelings for her, and he is frustrated with her lack of trust in him and the fact that while coming close so many times they have yet to 'take that further step' in their relationship. Laura suggested while they were in Cannes, a few months prior to the events of this story, that they step back from their personal relationship. Obviously that is easier said than done when they are working in such close proximity. Laura knows that she loves him but is constrained by her fear - her fear of him leaving her. Remington reluctantly agreed to her suggestion - he also knows deep down that he loves Laura but is afraid to tell her and afraid to commit. Except for a brief period in his younger years it seems like he has always been running, but maybe it's finally time to stop. Against this backdrop, someone from Steele's past re-enters his life who will force Remington and Laura to make decisions about their future together and change their lives forever…

This story is a little different in that it's written from three people's viewpoints - yes folks there's a love triangle! Don't worry though, you know our favourite couple will get together in the end - there's just a few twists and turns along the way (just like the show!). To quote Laura in 'Sensitive Steele', thought it was time to "shake things up a bit". This story also answers some questions such as who was the O'Casey Mr Steele was once 'rather fond' of and where did he get that diamond earring he sometimes wears when undercover?

This is my first fan fic (this story is the first of a planned series) so welcome your feedback - hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

A huge thankyou to my 'pre-reader' as well (you know who you are!) whose ideas and feedback have been a great help! :

Disclaimer: This work is purely for entertainment purposes- I am not making any money out of this. The characters you recognise are the property of MTM, the ones you don't are the property of me (so no stealing please! : ) Thankyou to the wonderful RS writers whose episodes I have referenced in this fanfic (and for creating these wonderful characters). Thanks also to the songwriters whose songs I have quoted from - again these are used purely for entertainment purposes and to illustrate the emotions the characters are feeling (the original song in the story belongs to me). There are some NC-17 parts to this story so if you are under 18 or are offended by that sort of thing please do not read.
 

Just after 10 am on Monday morning Remington Steele walked into the agency's office to find Laura poring over a newspaper. "Morning Laura - anything newsworthy we can sink our teeth into?" he greeted her, trying his best to sound casual as he tried to tear his eyes off her - even in business attire she's gorgeous, he found himself thinking.
 
Laura looked up from the paper, trying not to drown in his blue eyes. I'd love to sink my teeth into him, the thought came unbidden into her head. Why does he have to look so damn good in a suit? she thought to herself, wondering how long she could keep up this 'no mixing business with pleasure ' rule she had insisted on when they were in Cannes a few months ago.

Shaking her head (more to dispel these thoughts than anything) she replied "Nothing potential case wise as far as I can tell. I was actually just looking at the line up for an upcoming rock music festival I was thinking of going to this weekend."
 
Remington's left eyebrow arched in curiosity - she never ceased to surprise him. "I wouldn't have picked you as a rock music fan Laura" he commented with a grin.
 
"Why not?' she countered, a little defensively. "I like lots of different types of music - you obviously haven't been through my record collection. I spent a lot of my teen years holed up in my room listening to rock music - used to drive my mother crazy. In fact a few of my favourite artists from that time are playing at the festival."

"Really, like who?" Remington asked, intrigued with this new side to her he was seeing, as he took a sip of the coffee he had grabbed on his way into the office. "Johnny Cole, KK and the Beat..." Laura rattled off some of the artists' names.
 
 
Remington suddenly spluttered his coffee as the last name she read out stopped him in his tracks. KK and the Beat - that was a name he hadn't heard in a long time. KK- otherwise known as Kate Kelly (or Kate O'Casey as he'd known her) - oh that name brought back memories, he thought to himself.

"Are you alright?" Laura asked, puzzled a bit by his behaviour.
 
"Ah yes, of course Laura.. the coffee's just a bit hot that's all," he covered quickly as he tried to wipe the coffee he'd spluttered off his suit.
 
"Okay " she answered slowly, not quite convinced. "So what about you Mr Steele - are you a music fan?" she asked, trying to get some more insights into the man standing before her. There was so much about him she didn't know. He looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment which puzzled Laura even more then he replied
 
"Oh you know the odd song here and there I guess. I'm more of a movie man as you know. I'd ah.. better go clean myself up." He disappeared into the bathroom off his office to get away from a conversation that he'd rather not get into.

Later that day …

Remington walked into the office after lunch to find Laura talking to a man who he immediately recognised - somewhat older since he had last seen him all those years ago in London but he knew it was the same man. He just hoped he didn't recognise him as well. Miles Walker also brought back memories for him - some of which he'd rather forget. Memories of another time in his life, long ago…

"Ah here's Mr Steele now," Laura remarked as she saw him come in the door." Remington Steele, Miles Walker" Laura introduced them.
 
As they shook hands Miles looked at the detective and thought he saw something familiar. "Mr Steele ..have we met before?" Miles asked with curiosity.
 
"No I don't believe so." Remington answered quickly, flashing a smile & hoping he'd convinced him. "Now how can we help you Mr Walker?" he asked, changing the subject, as he sat down at his desk.
"I'm not sure if you've heard of Miles Walker, Mr Steele but he's a bigtime record producer & manager in the music industry. He's organised that music festival I was telling you about this morning, featuring several of the artists he's produced and managed over the years " Laura filled him in. "It seems there's been a few 'accidents' occurring at the stadium where the festival's going to be held which seem to be more than just coincidence. Mr Walker would like us to investigate and see if we can find out who's trying to sabotage the festival and why."

"I've heard your agency's the best Mr Steele," Miles stated. "And I'd appreciate it if we can keep this under wraps - no police involvement if we can help it .The publicity would kill the festival."

Remington sighed - he didn't want to get involved with this case. Not if there was a chance he would run into Kate Kelly. "What 'accidents' exactly Mr Walker?" he asked.
 
"At first it was nothing much - some instruments had gone missing, costumes damaged, equipment not working, that sort of thing. But yesterday some rigging fell down on the stage, almost hit one of the road crew. This is getting serious - I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Is there anyone you know who would want to see the festival called off or who would have something against you or any of the artists?" Laura questioned.
 
"No not that I know of," Miles shook his head as Remington looked somewhat troubled.
 
"Ah would you excuse Miss Holt and myself for a moment," he said as he motioned for Laura to follow him into her office & closed the door.
 
"Mr Steele what seems to be the problem?" Laura asked.
 
"Laura do we really want to take this case on? A few accidents at a music festival hardly seems worth the agency's time," he argued.

"Oh come now Mr Steele - if the case involved a movie set you'd be chomping at the bit to take it on. Let's say we broaden our horizons a bit and delve into the world of rock and roll," Laura stated with more than a bit of excitement.
 
"Laura are you sure you're not getting a bit star struck with the thought of possibly meeting your former teen idols?" he tried to dissuade her.
 
"Mr Steele I can assure you my interest in taking this case on is purely professional," she shot back, not entirely convincing him as he thought ruefully to himself and my interest in not taking it on is purely personal.
 
From the determined look on Laura's face he knew this was one argument he wasn't going to win. "Okay, okay," he relented, "I know the drill - I may be the boss but you're in charge."

"And don't you forget it," she replied with a cheeky grin as he followed her back into his office to let Miles Walker know they would be taking the case.

*******************************

"Thanks for coming so soon Mr Steele, Miss Holt," Miles greeted them once they arrived at the stadium.
 
"Our pleasure Mr Walker," Laura replied. Remington nodded but she could tell he still wasn't happy with her taking the case - his hesitation with the agency taking it on had puzzled her somewhat.
 
"I've arranged for you to talk to a couple of people who witnessed the accident to help you with your investigation - I've sent everyone else home for the day. I figured the less people who know you're investigating the case the better," Miles told them as they followed him backstage. "Ah here they are."

A man and a woman stood in front of them chatting, their backs to them. "Johnny, Kate, these are the private investigators I was telling you about." As they both turned, Remington gulped visibly, his fears in taking on the case suddenly realised as he immediately recognised the woman. Any remote hopes he had that she wouldn't recognise him as well were dashed immediately by the look of shock and recognition that crossed her face.

The man Kate Kelly saw standing in front of her when she turned around was impeccably dressed in an expensive three piece suit & tie, clean shaven, not a hair out of place, so different to what she had known years ago. But there was no mistaking his eyes or his lips. After all these years, Kate thought to herself. He certainly was dressed differently to what he used to wear and the good looking teenage boy she had known had matured into a dashing, handsome man. It was his eyes that gave his identity away - those deep blue eyes that had haunted her memories and her dreams for years. Recognition was like a jolt of electricity going through her. "Harr.." she went to utter, the shock showing clearly on her face.
 
"Remington Steele," he interjected before she could say his name as he forced a smile onto his face and a flood of memories of his smile came back to her. It felt surreal to Kate - here was her first love suddenly standing in front of her - a different look and a different name but definitely him.

"Pleased to meet you Miss..?" he went on in a professional tone, making out as if he didn't know her but the look he gave her told her otherwise.
 
"Kelly.. but my friends call me Kate," she replied in a predominantly Irish accent tinged with a bit of English due to the time she had spent in England over the years, as an almost amused look crossed her face, her eyes never leaving his. "Pleased to meet you Mr Steele" she added, emphasising his name as she shook his hand, his touch still doing something to her she couldn't explain.
 
A muscle twitched in Remington's cheek as they shook hands and he tried to hide the feelings and memories that her touch evoked in him. "Ah this is my.. associate, Laura Holt," Remington fumbled for words , his usual aplomb very much thrown.
 
Laura observed the exchange between them with great interest - it was almost as if they knew each other.

"Nice to meet you Miss Holt," Kate greeted her politely as she struggled to take her eyes off him.
 
Laura had to admit she was more than a little starstruck - this was KK, Kate Kelly, whose music she had listened to over and over again in her younger years - her lyrics had really spoken to her.
 
"Hi.. nice to meet you Miss Kelly. I must admit I'm a big fan," Laura gushed as she enthusiastically shook her hand.
 
"Thanks. Call me Kate, please," Kate insisted with a smile, momentarily taking her eyes off the man she had known as Harry.

"Hi babe I'm Johnny Cole - I'm sure you must have heard of me," the man suddenly interrupted, his eyes on Laura.
 
Despite his shock at seeing Kate again, Remington automatically found himself bristling a bit at the interest the other man was clearly showing in Laura. And as he looked at him he had a brief memory of him as well, one which he'd prefer to forget, which made him bristle even more.
 
"Pleased to make your acquaintance Mr Cole," Remington interjected in a formal tone as he stepped in front of Laura and shook the other man's hand, his grip a bit harder than it needed to be. "Well now that we all know each other how about we get on with some fact finding eh? Laura, I think Mr Cole seems quite keen to have a chat to you so I'll have a chat to Miss Kelly - to save time of course," Remington explained hurriedly.
 
"Ah..okay," Laura replied, a little perplexed. "Is there somewhere private we can talk to Miss Kelly & Mr Cole?" Remington asked Miles. "Well there's their dressing rooms".

A somewhat lecherous grin crossed Johnny Cole's face. "Miss Holt - or can I call you Laura? Come this way," he said as he grabbed her hand. Laura looked at Remington a little sourly and mouthed "Thanks a lot" as he grinned and gave her a little wave. He then turned his attention to Kate. He took a deep breath, buttoning his suit jacket as he did so. "Shall we Miss Kelly?"

"We shall Mr Steele," she replied between gritted teeth. Oh this is going to be fun, he thought ruefully as he followed her to her dressing room. As soon as they were alone in her dressing room Kate turned on him. "Harry?! Or should I say 'Mr Steele'? What the hell are you doing here and where have you been for the past fourteen years?" she demanded, her green eyes flashing with anger as she advanced towards him, her temper, legacy of her Irish heritage, getting the better of her.
 
He put his hands up to placate her. "Now Katie I can explain…" but she cut him off.

"Don't you Katie me you son of a bitch!" she warned him, the anger & hurt that had built up over fourteen years threatening to boil over, but hearing him use his pet name for her threatened to weaken her resolve. She was certainly reacting a lot differently than some of his other old girlfriends, who he'd encountered in the past couple of years, had on seeing him again, he thought to himself.
 
Felicia for example, had pulled him behind a statue and kissed him - but Kate had always been different he thought, perhaps that's what had attracted him to her.
 
"I've dreamt of this moment for a long time," she added in a low voice as she looked at him intently and for a moment he thought his luck had changed and all was forgiven.
 
He went to reply, his most charming smile crossing his face in an attempt to calm her down as he closed the distance between them. With that she slapped him hard across the face, taking him totally by surprise.

"I guess I had that coming," he stated ruefully as he gingerly rubbed his cheek and jaw.
 
"Damn right you did. After all we had together and meant to each other - you leave me with just a note??," she snapped back at him.
 
"Feel better?" he asked a little sarcastically.
 
"A little," she admitted wryly, running a hand through her short, spiky hair.
 
"I was hoping all would be forgiven Kate," he added hopefully.
 
"I forgave you a long time ago Harry," Kate relented, "Forget is another story," she added shooting him a meaningful glance.
 
"I guess I should be thankful it wasn't your right hook," he muttered, thinking back to their younger years on the mean streets of Brixton, his accent reverting somewhat back to the Irish brogue he'd had when she'd known him.
 
The two of them had got into their fair share of scrapes back in the day and he remembered Kate always gave as good as she got, as fast with her fists as any man he'd met.

"Guess so," she agreed. She caught him flashing his familiar crooked grin at her as the memories came flooding back to both of them. Why does he have to do that? she thought desperately. I want to be angry at him but all I can think is how goddamn good he looks.
 
"I am sorry Katie for how I left things between us," he stated sincerely, suddenly serious.
 
She had needed to hear him say that for so long that it was like a flood gate breaking and her anger and hurt and the shock of seeing him again spilt over into hot, angry tears. She turned her back to him so he wouldn't see them.
 
"I'm sorry I hurt you," he added quietly, his gaze focused on the floor, as Kate shook her head ruefully then turned back around to face him.
 
"Hurt me? You have no idea Harry - you ripped my heart out." she replied bluntly as a few of the tears she had fought so hard to hold back finally slipped down her cheeks.
 
He looked at her in shocked silence, his expression saying more than words ever could.

In an effort to break the somewhat awkward silence that had suddenly sprung up between them Kate relented somewhat and said with a sigh. "I'm sorry too - for the slap and for what I called you."

"No.. I deserved it" he admitted, his voice soft, as he stepped closer to her.
 
"Harry don't.. please," she pleaded half-heartedly as she put a hand up to stop him. Half of her wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms and kiss him as if no time had passed and they were still young lovers back in London. But the other, more rational part of her was scared to - he'd obviously moved on - new clothes, new accent, new name for God's sake.

He looked at her intently, not really knowing what to say. "So do you want to tell me where you've been for the past fourteen years and how you ended up a private investigator in LA?' she asked.
 
"I'm supposed to be the one asking the questions remember?" he reminded her gently. "I'll explain everything Kate but now's not really the time," he reassured her.
 
"I guess your associate will be wondering where we are" Kate agreed as Remington answered ruefully
 
"Yes I bet she will."

"So um.. did you see anything when the rigging fell?" he asked, trying to get the conversation back on a professional footing.
 
Kate told him what she'd seen and heard, all the while unable to take her eyes off him. "You look good in a suit Harry," she remarked. "I've never seen you in one before. You look like you stepped off a movie set." She smiled in spite of herself. He smiled back at her - that slow, sexy smile that she had always loved.
 
"Thanks. You're looking good yourself Katie," he replied, his eyes travelling over her. For a woman in her early thirties she had aged well and kept in shape. She had blossomed from the pretty young girl he had known into the attractive woman who sat before him now. "You cut your hair," he remarked.
 
"So did you," she replied with a grin. They both realised the conversation was headed into dangerously nostalgic territory.
 
"Ah,, I guess we should get back to the others," Remington stated as he cleared his throat.
 
"Yes I guess we'd better," Kate agreed somewhat reluctantly.

When they came back out they found Laura, Johnny & Miles inspecting the rigging that had fallen on the stage. Laura raised an eyebrow at Remington as she spied the red mark on his cheek and wondered what had happened.
 
"Ah.. walked into a door…clumsy me," he explained hurriedly, looking a bit uncomfortable as he did so.
 
Laura wasn't at all convinced. "Come and have a look at this Mr Steele - looks like it's been tampered with," she stated as he came over to look at the part of the rigging she was examining.
 
"Hmm I think you're right Miss Holt," Remington agreed as he looked at the two bolts that had clearly been unscrewed. "I think someone definitely doesn't want this concert to go ahead," he stated as he shared a concerned glance with the others.

To Chapter 2


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